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Rainy Day

Rainy day?!?! Say what? So I knew we had a tropical wave coming for us on Monday and Tuesday, but I expected today to be nice. Imagine my surprise when upon waking I found out that today too would be a rainy day. Ugh! We need the rain, but not the three days worth of tropical soaking we’re expecting. Clearly, living in South Florida, I can hardly complain about the weather, but this rain is for the birds!

Last night I had a bit of a tension headache starting in my neck and shoulders. Unfortunately, it was still there this morning. I wasn’t sure if yoga was going to be in the cards, but I decided it would do more good than harm. Beforehand, I also used the tune up therapy balls to massage my neck and shoulder muscles. Yoga went well, albeit my body was super fatigued. Given the discomfort I was feeling in my neck and shoulders, I took it a bit easier than last week. Nonetheless, I continue to see gains in all aspects of my practice. I’m really excited to be on this yogi path.

After yoga, I ate a quick lunch before heading down to my friend’s house for a visit. Don’t worry we adhered to social distancing rules! Truly, it was nice to get out of the house for the afternoon. Moreover, it was great to spend time chatting with a women! Sometimes it’s tough to be the only woman in the house. It was wonderful visit and I had a great time.

Since I was out for the afternoon, the hubby made dinner. This inspire of the fact he worked most of the day tearing out a bowling alley floor. Tonight’s dinner was balsamic burgers with mozzarella salad. Everyone, but my Mayor, really loved the burgers. Perhaps it comes as no surprise to you dear reader that I was the only one that enjoyed the salad. My boys, including the biggest one, described the salad as tasting like grass. Nonetheless, I was a happy customer.

Much like the rest of the week, I was again super tired. I’ve been on the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan for the last week, so it could be my body adjusting to it. Clearly, I’ll need to re-evaluate it next week if I’m still dealing with the defcon 10 physics fatigue. Needless to say, I was an absolute coffee machine on this rainy day. I’m sure the weather doesn’t help either as it’s the perfect weather for staying in bed all day. Consequently, I got none of the tedious housework on my list completed. Moreover, I’d love to start dancing and working choreography again

As an update to last night’s blog, Goalielocks’ friend is improving, but is still in ICU. He and his family need our prayers and support now more than ever. While there is never a good time for these things to happen, there couldn’t be a worse time than now during the pandemic. Please continue to pray for his recovery and for his family! They need all the love and support this world can muster!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Vilette by Charlotte Bronte

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Vinyasa with Monica. Since I’m in teacher training, she taught the primary series of Ashtanga yoga.

*Week 1 BBG 2.0 day 7 active rest

*Visited Terri and talked about everything from our kids to journalists inability to do their job.

*Watched Rocketman and Family Guy

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

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New Routine

Today marked the start of my new routine on Wednesday. Since my yoga teacher is now on maternity leave, I don’t have yoga at 5:30 anymore. Nonetheless, I have adapted accordingly. Since I’m on BBG 2.0 I added a high intensity cardio workout. This workout includes 15 minutes of 30 seconds of rest followed by 30 seconds of rest. Unquestionably, the new routine isn’t quite as relaxed as the old one.

One thing that didn’t change is our Wednesday night cookout. On the menu today was bacon wrapped filet, potatoes au gratin, broccoli and caramel apple desserts. Everything on the menu less the broccoli came from Omaha Steaks. Strangely, my youngest has become a pickier eater as our quarantine has progressed. He doesn’t like steak, barely tried the potatoes and didn’t like the dessert. Meanwhile, my middle son, who has always been picky has become an adventurous eater. My world is in chaos!

After virtual school caused a full on mental health breakdown yesterday, I’m happy report things were much better today. In fact, both boys did their school work and chores without needing much inducement from me. Oh yes, it was a victory! Now their school is all done for the day, the floors are clean and the dishes have been done! I wish everyday could be like today!

I did my first arm workout for BBG 2.0. Surprisingly, it was pretty easy for me. This, of course, is a testament to the foundation I built while completing BBG 1.0. Nevertheless, the number of pushups (regular, lay down and from my knees) that I did today was utterly obscene. Additionally, there were some new exercises like arm raises from a hover plank. Those were fun, said nobody ever!

After my workout, I had to run to Target to pick up a prescription and return a phone case. Additionally, I was hoping they’d have some weights because I need some 8, 12 and 15 lb dumbbells. Alas, it was not to be as there entire fitness section was sold out. I hung my head in disappointment as the Mayor and I made our way over to the food. I bought two more gallons of milk since they’d already drank the five gallons I had purchased Friday. As of now, we’re down to only half a gallon left! Ugh.

I started supplementing my synthroid (T4) with cytomel (T3) a couple of weeks ago. Nonetheless, I still experience fatigue some afternoons. Since I’ve never been much of a napper, I medicate with some afternoon coffee and meditation. Truly, my afternoon meditation practice has been cathartic and helps recharge my battery. This week’s mid-day meditation has been focused on gratitude. It’s always nice to spend time ruminating on things that make you grateful like family, friends and flowers. Of course, I’m also grateful for my new routine.

Lastly, my brave Athena is absolutely terrified by the beep of the fire alarm. We changed the battery last night, but for some reason it is still beeping. Sadly, Athena shakes like a leaf when this happens. Consequently, my hubby had her on our bed in our room trying to calm down last night. She loved it so much she refused to get down. Finally, we were able to coax her done when the Mayor started practicing his handstand in the yoga silk. She didn’t quite know what to do with the situation, so naturally she went to the bathroom on the carpet. Oh Piggie!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Vilette by Charlotte Bronte

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Trip to Target for prescription and a few goodies. The store was not crowded.

*Week 1 BBG 2.0 day 3 arms and cardio (high intensity)

*Checked on the duck nest in our garden. We now have six eggs.

*Watched It’s Always Sunny

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

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Maintaining Connection

As we approach another month of social distancing, it is super important to be maintaining connection with our friends and family. This pandemic has seemingly lasted forever and has been isolating for many. By maintaining connection, you remove not only yourself from isolation, but your friend and family as well. Plus, it’s nice to see people that reside outside of your home!

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To this end, we had a family Zoom call tonight, which was a lot of fun. My parents, my brothers and their families and even Jake joined in for an hour of family together time and shenanigans. Obviously, it was super awesome to see my airman! Moreover, the rest of my family enjoyed seeing him as much as I did. I was impressed that my two younger ones made a pretty solid appearance on the call. Clearly, I expected them to avoid it at all costs. Needless to say today’s call was awesome!! Perhaps this will become a new family tradition.
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Today was my first full day on the T3 medication. First of all, I actually fell asleep right away last night for the first time in months. Secondly, my 2.3 mile run, #IrunwithMaud, went really well and was relatively easy. Lastly, and most importantly, I’ve had energy throughout the entire day. Usually, I’m hit in the afternoon with an incredible wave of fatigue. Truly, I couldn’t keep my eyes open or get off the couch most afternoons. Hopefully, this is an indication of things to come.

 

This afternoon I had my second yoga teacher training session via Zoom. We studied more of the history of yoga as well as some of its key tenets. In addition we discussed Iyengar and the difference between the Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga. We even put some of our learning into practice, which was great! In fact, I even got to try teaching namaskar A. Naturally, I was nervous, but it went well. I’m looking forward to next week’s class.

It’s funny that the same technology that makes us distant under normal circumstances is bringing us together during quarantine and making us better. For once, our phones are being used to maintain connection with our loved ones and friends in a real way. Truly, I haven’t talked on the phone this much since middle school. Moreover, I’ve been using my laptop and phone to improve myself and learn new skills. This pandemic has presented an opportunity for us all to become better if we choose that path. While it would be easy to choose the path of a nomad, I choose to walk the path to self improvement. Concurrently of course with the path to European chocolate. This is what I call balance.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Yoga teacher training with Monica from Yoga Mundo 

*Watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia 

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 6 cardio – ran 2.3 miles for Maud

*Virtual family fun

*Goalielocks hooked a nice peacock bass

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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America Strong

Today was the day the Blue Angels came to South Florida as part of their America Strong mission. Since the mission was announced late last month, I’ve been anxiously awaiting its arrival here. Originally, I had hoped we would get the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds together. Sadly that was not to be. Nevertheless, I was thrilled we’d have the chance to see the Blue Angels today.

Before we could for see the Blue Angels, I had my doctor’s appointment this morning and a workout to complete. Fortunately, my doctor’s appointment was early in the morning. This was my first Covid19/quarantine doctor appointment. Consequently, my temperature was taken before I could even proceed to an exam room. Also, everyone was wearing masks. I did, however, have an option to do a telemedicine, but I prefer the in person visit with my endo.

Most of my bloodwork was good less my free T3 which was a bit low. Some how Quest forgot to do my TSH test, which is a bit of a problem. Naturally, it’s a pretty critical lap test in the treatments of Graves’ disease. Fortunately, my primary doc had tested my TSH in mid February, so she had somewhat of a barometer. Since I’m still experiencing hypothyroid symptoms and no weight loss, my doc prescribed T3 for me. Interestingly, a small percentage of patients aren’t able to convert T4 to T3 effectively. Unfortunately, it wold appear I fall in that small percentage. All in all, the visit went well.

My morning continued with an awesome BBG ab workout. I did entirely too many sit-ups and jack knifes. My abs were sore afterwards. Worse yet, it included jumping rope for 100 rotations. In case you forgot, I suck at jumping rope. Naturally, my lack of skill here cost me a lot of time, so I didn’t get through the first and third circuit twice. The second and fourth circuit were a bit easier since they didn’t included jumping rope. Consequently, I got though both of those circuits 3 three times. Yep, my abs should feel great tomorrow.

Meanwhile Goalielocks abandoned our deal from earlier in the week and was fast asleep in his bed. Okay, so he assured me he wasn’t sleeping, but I’m not sure what else he would have been doing. I don’t think he’s started a mediation practice. Obviously, I was none to thrilled. The last thing I wanted to do was spend my morning trying to corral him out of bed. Finally, he made it downstairs in time to watch the dogs as we left to see the Blue Angels.

The Mayor and I headed to Boca a little early, so I could be sure to find a kid viewing spot. We did arrive a bit early, but it paid off as we had a great location. Not surprisingly, the parking lot had plenty of people there to watch the Blue Angels support our healthcare workers. It was a pretty awesome unifying experience. The flyover was brief, but spectacular. We hopped back in the truck to head to West Boca where they were to end their flyover.

We had twenty five minutes to make it 4.8 miles from where we were to West Boca. Not far at all. Of course this is Boca and South Florida, so traffic had other things in mind. In what I can only describe as the most South Florida thing ever, the Blue Angels beat us to West Boca. Meanwhile they had travelled to Homestead (80 miles to the south) and back as we drove west. Fortunately, we happened to be at a stoplight when they flew out of the west over West Boca Medical Center. I can’t believe we nearly missed it! Needless to say, it served as a reminder as to why I avoid Boca at all costs.

This evening I made my last meal out of our first Blue Apron box. Tonight we had steaks with cheddar potatoes and roasted vegetables. Simply put, we ate like a king. It was super yummy! The hubby prefers grilled steaks to pan cooked steaks, so next time we’ll probably just grill the steaks. As for the mashed potatoes, they were fabulous. Who doesn’t love l white cheddar? I may have added some additional Tillamook white cheddar just to be safe. Additionally, we had roasted carrots and sugar snap peas, which were very tasty.

I’m feeling a bit of relief tonight as the school week ends. We’re spending a relaxing evening on the couch with the puppies binge watching Impractical Jokers. Honestly, it’s exactly the kind of mindless, funny television that we need right now. No conspiracy theories or fairy tales here! It’s the perfect end to an arduous week of virtual school and Covid19 pandemonium. Fortunately, there is a end in sight. Our county will open to Phase 1 next week, which will include our beaches the week after. This has been a long season, but it too shall pass.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Week 1 CS50

*Watching the Blue Angels

*Watched Futurama and Impractical Jokers

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 5 abs 

*Virtual school fun

*Goalielocks booked a gator

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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Fairy Tales

Growing up I was always a fan of Fairy Tales be it Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson. I’ve always had a vivid imagination, which these stories fed. Unfortunately, while I still enjoy those beloved fairy tales, I’m becoming weary of the Covid-19 fairy tales. Sadly, my Facebook feed has morphed into fairy tale after fairy tale about the pandemic.

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Let me be clear, I’m not here to debate the merits of vaccines or politics. However, these fairy tales are damaging to the psyche and public health. Please explain to me what people will believe a discredited, criminal and disgraced researcher over a renowned epidemiologist or even their own doctor. Is it because we all wish this was over? Or is it because we want to to pick and choose what is true based on what’s convenient? Or is it because we disagree with someone’s politics?

 

If you think Fauci is part if the “deep state” that’s fine, consult with your own physician. Also if you think this is about the election and defeating Trump because of comments Fauci made in 2017, you’re wrong. First of all, you took his comments out of context. If you consider his comments in totality, i.e. considering his past 32 years of experience, then it makes complete sense. This is an epidemiologist that had a front row to SARS, MERS, West Nile, Zika, Ebola, and the swine flu to name a few. Lastly, the impact of COVID extends far beyond the borders of the US. This pandemic is global.
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All of the information, misinformation and media hype can be overwhelming. Consequently, I stopped watching the news completely (frankly don’t trust them.) Instead I read several papers in the morning. Usually I pass up the conspiracy theories, but everyone on my Facebook was sharing it. Needless to say, endless Facebook scrolling probably isn’t the best thing for our mental health or understanding of the pandemic. To maintain my sanity, I had to take a new approach. As a result, I’m now getting my information solely from my doctors or friends and family that are healthcare providers. (I’ve also been enjoying looking at old family pictures as you’ll see below.)

Speaking of Fairy Tales, I feel like getting my mile under ten minutes has become as unrealistic as the Little Mermaid. Today I logged my miles inside on the treadmill. Truth be told, after my hubby sprained his ankle on the path and has had a limp, I’ve been reticent to run outside. Our path is terribly uneven and I’m terribly uncoordinated. Not too mention my foot and ankles are already a hot mess, so the treadmill and Curb Your Enthusiasm are a safer bet.

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We interrupt this blog post for a hooked gator. Only in Florida, will your kid text you that they have a gator on their line and need your help. Needless to say, the hubby and I dropped everything and ran out to the lake. Goalielocks had walked to the opposite side of the lake, so we couldn’t see him. Naturally, I called him to see where he was at. He answered that the gator was off the line and he’d keep fishing. About that…. I made him come to this side of the lake. It’s gator mating season, which can make them aggressive.

Now back to the blog already in session. Once I finished my run, I did my stretch routine and got ready for yoga. Yoga was awesome today! Jenn always runs a great class with an innovative flow that keeps you engaged. As I noted before, Jenn’s studio has been instrumental in getting my body healthy. Unfortunately Graves’ disease left my muscles and soft tissue very tight and painful. Jenn’ classes have given me mobility and removed the pain. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to not only regain the mobility I’ve lost, but also gain more mobility in my legs and hips. #winning

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This afternoon I started week 1 of my CS50 class in Computer Science. Last week, we learned about Scratch. This week we are learning about C. Two weeks ago I had no idea what any of this meant. After watching the lecture today, I’m really excited for this class. Thankfully, the professor is amazing. He’s dynamic, engaging and explains things in a manner that’s easy to understand. Needless to say, I’m excited to see what this class brings!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Week 1 CS50

*Watched Futurama and Impractical Jokers

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 4 cardio

*Virtual school fun

*Goalielocks booked a gator

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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A New Day

While Monday sucked bananas, today brought a new day full of promise and sunshine. And guess what, today was a much better day. Albeit my neck and shoulders were still pretty sore this morning. Fortunately, the pain has abated as the day has progressed. Even Athena had a better day as her CBD stash was replenished and she didn’t overdose in them today. Thankfully, her gluttonous error yesterday didn’t cause any damage or long term problems for her. Today she’s back to herself.
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Nonetheless, between Athena’s treat buffet yesterday and the humidity, I decided to take my run indoors today. Now I love running outside, but the high temperatures and humidity are problematic as I can’t tolerate heat. Also, the paths have been crowded and I prefer to run unmasked. Consequently, I logged my miles on the treadmill while watching Curb Your Enthusiasm. I’m about to finish season 9 and start season 10, which I haven’t seen before.

While I prefer running outside, their are benefits to running on the treadmill. Namely, the temperature is controlled and comfortable. Also, I can watch Larry David. Finally, the steady tempo on the treadmill tends to keep my heart rate lower and steadier. My doctor is not a big fan of my running up my heart rate (pun intended.). For example, when I run outdoors my pace isn’t steady and the temperature impacts performance. My heart rate may vary from 145-191. In contrast, my heart rate averages 120-130 on the treadmill with a peak heart rate of 166. Needless to say, I know my Endo would prefer I run indoors.
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After my run, I did my stretch routine. Albeit I took a little more time on the foam roller because yesterday’s BBG workout left me super sore. Naturally, the next step in my day was my yoga with Monica at Open Heart Yoga Studio’s virtual class. Today’s class was gentle, calming and exactly what my body needed. It was a good answer to the hard work I did yesterday and on my run this morning. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I reconnected with Monica and found this studio. It really has changed my life.

As I ate my lunch, I couldn’t help but be sad for my yoga studio‘ s owner and other small business owners. The longer this pandemic last, the harder these folks and our community will be hit. Many, as you know, didn’t get federal aid because it ran out before their applications were processed. Yet these businesses are still absolutely vital to our communities. One of my fellow yoga students setup a Gofundme campaign to help keep the studio afloat during these difficult times. Please consider donating to the cause Donate here. Or better yet, purchase a virtual class package and take a class. You can do that Register here.

My afternoon was spent working on my Groovepages. So far I’m absolutely loving the format. It’s easy to navigate and easy to build an effective website even for me and I’m not a web developer. The website through Groovepages will serve as a funnel for affiliates, my main site and store. If you’re looking to get into the affiliate game, I suggest giving their free trial a try. You can sign up for the free trial, no credit card is needed here: Https://groovepages.com


This evening the Mayor cooked us a nice dinner of chicken, sautéed onions, and left over jasmine rice and veggies. As always, the food was outstanding and tasty. It’s nice to have a third chef in the family. Unsurprisingly, I finished the leftover roasted cabbage and peppers. Naturally, I’m the only one that will eat a vegetable that isn’t a potato, onion, broccoli, carrot or corn. Of course, I was happy I didn’t have to share.

As for the virtual school situation, today was a much better day. We switched it up a bit today. In fact, from here out, the Hubby will be waking up Goalielocks at 6:30 am for him to start his work. Once his work is completed, Zoom meetings included, he can sleep to his heart’s content. Unquestionably, we had our best day of virtual school since it started. No tears were shed by teacher or pupil today, so I’m going to call that a win.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Yoga For A Healthy Back/Gentle Flow with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Watched Futurama and Curb Your Enthusiasm 

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 2 cardio leg 

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor.  I’ve included some pictures in the above. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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Margaritaville

It’s Friday and it’s been a long week, so it’s off to Margaritaville for me. And by Margaritaville, I do mean the state of kind. Yes, sir It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere! Consequently the hubby and I are enjoying the pitcher of margaritas that came with dinner. While I rarely drink anymore, today felt like a good day to break the dry spell. Not too mention a good margarita is pretty persuading.

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After what felt like a week full of virtual school overtime, I am more than ready for a break and the weekend. Markedly, we had a really productive week, but it was exhausting. I’ve had to get very granular with each boy on their assignments. Even so, it doesn’t feel like I’m doing an adequate job. Moreover, it doesn’t feel like the work ever end, which isn’t to say they’re being assigned too much work. Rather it’s a reflection of the sure energy output required to get one assignment adequately completed. Like I told my hubby, I’ve definitely earned a European vacation for the work I’ve put in this past month.
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This morning I had a lab appointment at Quest, which was an adventure. I hadn’t been to this location in along time as my doctor’s office normally does my bloodwork. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, they’re only doing bloodwork for patients with appointments. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long since I had an appointment. However, during that short time severe elderly patients had come into the lab.
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This location has no from desk only kiosks where you can check in. Sadly, an elderly couple was completely confounded by the technology. They were so stressed. Fortunately, the lab tech was able to say yes and get the elderly man in the schedule. At that moment, I was grateful for everything my parents do for my grandma’s. Conversely, I was sad that this elderly couple had nobody to help them navigate the new technology. Thankfully, the lab tech was very nice and patient.

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After my lab appointment, I did my BBG ab workout for week ten. Those damn, confounded burpees with a push up and tuck jump were again included in the workout. Needless to say those things are pure evil. As for the rest of the workout, it was great. Naturally, it was challenging, but outside of the burpees it was manageable and felt great. After four circuits, I had completed 90 pushups and 60 half burpees along with a lot of other exercises. Clearly, I better have six pack abs tomorrow!

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Afterwards I hastily ate lunch as I made preparations for day one of yoga teacher training with Monica. Right at 1:00 pm, I was ready to start my yoga teacher journey. Naturally, I also had my second cup of coffee on hand. Today’s class included a five minute meditation, which was great. As for coursework, we spent the session learning about the rich history of yoga. Truly, it was really interesting. I’m super excited to be on this journey.

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Post training, I had to go back to reality and deal with virtual school. Naturally, I found myself needing a meditation time out relatively soon thereafter. I’ve started an afternoon meditation practice devoted to stopping bad habits. Day one was cravings, day 2 was worry and today was negative thoughts. It’s a short meditation and easy to fit into anyone’s schedule. Subsequently, I was ready to tackle the rest of my school day after the mediation.
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Tonight we’ve taken a delightful trip to Margaritaville come plate with an amazing dinner catered by Dinners in Motion. Honestly, their food is incredible as is their price. You can’t beat a full taco dinner (chicken and steak,) dessert and a carafe of margaritas plus delivery for $70. We have had some great experience supporting our local restaurants during this pandemic. We are so fortunate to have so many talented and creative chefs in our community. Lastly, it’s been a great time to support the industry and those that work within. The first time we ordered from Dinners in Motion they were operating on a skeleton staff. Not even two weeks later, they have rehired fourteen people. If someone tells you that you can’t do good thing supporting your local restaurants, they’re lying to you!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Yoga Teacher Training with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*Watched Trailer Park Boys

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 10 BBG day 5 Abs baby!

*Virtual school torture with Goalielocks and the Mayor

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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Paradise

It was another day in paradise. When I left to grab coffee this morning, the temperature was 65 degrees and the dew point was in the fifties. Additionally, the sun was shining bright and there was not one cloud in the sky. After the scorching heat of last week, this morning’s weather felt absolutely sublime! I, for one, am relishing these last nice days as the heat of summer and humidity of rainy season is right around the corner.

Paradise lost, the epic and long winded Milton poem, is how I was feeling when we got the virtual school part of the day. How soon I fell from paradise to the continual battle that is home schooling. Goalielocks assured me he wasn’t sleeping, but was in class. This in-spite of me having to wake him up multiple times throughout the morning. Meanwhile, the Mayor was hard at work watching YouTube videos instead of doing class work. Oh joy!
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I somewhat recaptured paradise by going to yoga this morning with Monica. Clearly, it was an awesome class as it left my body and mind feeling incredible and at peace. Afterwards, I took the puppies on a short walk before tackling day one of BBG week nine. Oh man, what a doozy that workout was today!! I mean what fuckery is a burpee with a push-up and tuck jump? Peer torture and a hockey mom killer. Needless to say, those combination burpees were no joke. I was fried after the workout. Unequivocally, I’m totally team BBG and would highly recommend the workout and the app.

Sadly, after lunch I returned to Milton’s Paradise Lost. I had yet another argument with the Mayor over his art homework. He argued vehemently that I should have his schedule changed so he could drop art. Obviously that isn’t possible as we are already half way through the quarter! If there was a genie and I could have one wish only, I’d wish that the boys would understand it is much easier to get their work down timely instead of procrastinating or worse ignoring it.

Okay, so I know that eventually they’ll probably understand, but I’d love to compress the timeline. It was so refreshing speaking without airman last night because he’s got a clear path and plan for his career. Undoubtedly, my Hubby and I were so proud when he sent us a list of IT certs he intends to complete while in the service. Truly, the list is impressive and will afford him many lucrative career options in his post military life. I guess the point is that eventually the kids will find their way and their path. Never in my dreams could I have created a better path for him. Obviously, we are so proud of him and happy that he’s found his path.

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This week also marks week three of intermittent fasting on the 8:2 plan. As a reminder, the 8:2 plan means I eat normal five days a week and fast two days a week by only eating 800 calories. So far, it’s going well and I’ve lost a few pounds. A few ponds may not seem significant, but when you have no thyroid every pound lost is a victory. Thankfully, it’s also not difficult to follow and adhere too. When you think about it, you’re only very disciplined two days a week. There are no foods off limits, unless you have a cold allergy or intolerance like me. Consequently, I avoid gluten containing foods, but everything else is fair game!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading My Antonia by Willa Cather and loving it!

*Gentle Flow Yoga with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*Facetime with my Airman!

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 10 BBG day 1 leg day

*Virtual school torture with Goalielocks and the Mayor

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

 

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Lazy Day

It was another lazy day. My body and soul are exhausted. An added plus is that I’m sore for yesterday’s ab workout. Truly, is is an affirmation of how hard I worked yesterday. Fortunately, I’m not early as sore as I was after leg day. Needless to say, it’s good to know my workout was effective. The abject fatigue I’ve experienced the last three days is more evidence that my workout routine is effective. Additionally, it also means that I need to be flexible in my expectations around running. I was shooting for three runs this week, but my body was not up for that plan. Hopefully, next week it will be better.

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Nonetheless, there’s something a bit rewarding in a lazy day. No arguing over school work or grocery shopping, which is always a treat. I did take the morning to setup my old Mac for the Mayor before setting up my new laptop. Thankfully, the whole process was quite easy and was over in less than an hour. My old Mac book is from 2017, but it should serve the Mayor well. This new laptop also serves as a replacement for the Hubby’s work computer, which hasn’t worked properly in several years.

Afterwards I got most of the laundry done, but since I only do laundry for me and the Hubby it wasn’t so bad. All three of the boys have done their own laundry for years, which has been a godsend and timesaver for us. When all three boys were playing hockey, we had a lot of trouble staying on top of the laundry. Consequently, I feel pretty good for accomplishing something domestic on my lazy day. My Hubby also helped fold, which made it go a lot quicker. I also sort of fell asleep for a bit. Apparently the magic beans in my coffee weren’t strong enough today.

As for the mental and emotional fatigue, I can always tell it’s presence by a craving for something sweet. Since we needed distilled water for our new steamer, the Mayor and I headed to Walgreen’s to pick some up. Naturally, I was able to find some clearance Easter candy to assuage my craving. Who doesn’t love a big bag of peanut butter M&M’s for $1.68?!? I also picked up jelly beans because I wanted some red and purple ones. I know, I know I’m highly specific here, but I never pretended to be normal. However, this behavior certainly would explain the quarantine fifteen.

I know that I’m not alone in my mental, physical and emotional fatigue. It’s a byproduct of the experience we are all living. That being said make sure you check on your friends and family. People are lonely, so a phone call or text will go along way. Even if you think they’re busy because they have family or work, reach out. Sometimes all it takes to make someone’s day is a voicemail or text message checking on them. Lastly, it’s okay to not be okay right now. Times are tough, but they will get better.

 

 

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading My Antonia by Willa Cather and loving it!

*Morning meditation

*Week 9 BBG day 6 rest day 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

 

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Wasted My Morning

So I totally wasted my morning by sleeping through my alarm for over two hours. How I didn’t hear the alarm going off every nine minutes is beyond me. In fact, I keep the phone on my dresser right next to my head. Perhaps it was my subconscious mind not wanting to wake up from my dream about Momcation in Turks and Caicos. Or perhaps it was the sheer exhaustion from my increased workout last week. Maybe I do need two full days off.

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Nonetheless my morning was shot. By the time I ate breakfast and finished my coffee, it was too late to run. Simply put I didn’t have enough time for the food to settle, run and be back in time for yoga. Seriously, it was probably the universe telling me to take a light day. Who am I to refuse the advice of the universe?!? I went to my yoga class, which was amazing. Afterwards, I ate my lunch.

I spent my afternoon relaxing on the couch nursing a sinus headache and my Balthazar obsession. Fortunately, episode 4 of season 2 did not disappoint. Of course, the best per of every afternoon is hanging with the puppies on the couch. All three of the puppies like to take their afternoon nap on the couch as I watch Balthazar. I had contemplated making a run up to our corner shop, aka Walgreens, for more Cadbury mini eggs and charcoal masks. But then I remembered I was tired and really don’t need more Cadbury in my life.
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While we did have an inbound call from a math teacher today, virtual school went pretty well today. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. This whole virtual school situation is tough. I can only imagine the added level of stress this has added to the teachers. Undoubtedly, they’re chasing down students to get work turned in and make sure nobody is left behind. It’s clearly not an ideal situation, but we’re finally starting to get into a rhythm albeit a dysfunctional rhythm.

Speaking of dysfunctional, my neighborhood Facebook groups have been pretty boring lately. Truly, it’s amazing, but people are being nice to each other. Moreover, it seems that people realized that just because they have an opinion doesn’t mean they need to share it on social media. This seems to be a groundbreaking revelation for some. As for the rest of my newsfeed, it remains a hot mess. There is so much misinformation on Facebook that it’s just disgusting. This may be Facebook’s jump the shark moment.

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On a literary note, I finished Wuthering Heights last night. Certainly, this novel will hold a place in my top book list. While I hated Heathcliff, one of the novels main characters, the story and the character development are incredible. It was a relatively quick read. Since I finished it pretty early last night, I started reading Willa Cather’s My Antonia. Surprisingly, I was able to get through three chapters last night. Fortunately, I love what I’m reading so far. The change of scenery from the Moors of Scotland to the American plains has been fun. Stay tuned for my thoughts on My Antonia.

 

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading My Antonia by Willa Cather and loving it!

*Morning meditation

*Gentle Yoga For A Healthy Back with Jenn from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Started reading Success Factors by Jack Canfield

*Watched Balthazar Season 2 episode 4

*Learned a new word – weleful which means to produce prosperity or happiness.  However, please make note this word is no obsolete. 

*Week 9 BBG rest day 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

*Obedience training Anakin with Goalielocks.

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